The ballooning popularity of cryptocurrencies has drawn intense interest from lawmakers in recent months.
Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers indicated via a tweet that she does not understand leading meme coins Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB), but she understands freedom. According to the politician, people should be allowed to purchase whichever crypto assets they wish — even if the coins are not as good as bitcoin.
Rep. Rogers’ comments on the two major doggy-themed cryptocurrencies come just days after she put forward a bill that intends to amend the list of accepted legal tenders in Arizona to include the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value, bitcoin.
Rogers, who assumed office at the beginning of 2021, has become synonymous with controversy due to her ties to anti-government militia Oath Keepers and publicly praising political conspiracy movement QAnon.
Feeling neglected, XRP fans began spamming the Senator’s Twitter account with incessant mentions of the Ripple-promoted token. Rogers was prompted to ask her followers about the cryptocurrency, much to the satisfaction of the legion of enthusiasts.
 
 
This, however, quickly turned sour when some crypto insiders branded XRP a “scam” because Ripple continuously “dumps billions of these coins to clueless investors”. Ripple is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly selling XRP as unlicensed security.
Sen. Rogers Introduces More Pro-Crypto Bills
On Monday, the Republican Senator submitted two more crypto-focused bills. The first bill, numbered SB 1127, looks to allow state agencies to accept cryptocurrencies as a payment option for an array of financial obligations such as fines, rates, taxes, and civil penalties.
The second bill, SB 1128, proposes to exempt bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from property taxes.
It is worth mentioning that Rogers has long endorsed cryptocurrencies. She was appointed to the blockchain and cryptocurrency committee in late December last year and has asserted that she will strive to make Arizona the cryptocurrency hub of the United States.